Nerio

Ferrite:	500
Bioptics:	300
Niodes:	45

The Nerio, the flagship light mech of manufacturer Consolidated Mecha, is a well-rounded machine, though its reputation has at times been tarnished by reliability issues. Most famously, a Nerio erroneously shut down in the final minutes of 3220 Galactic Mechathlon, costing Team Cogwerk the championship. Almost all Nerio in active use have undergone extensive modification from stock to ward off these problems, and ConMech has gone to great lengths to remove such faults from newer production runs.

Despite this sometimes-finicky reputation, the Nerio has been well-received in some circles and is a favored light-infantry mech among many clans of the Cogwerk Planets. Some commanders insist that, paradoxically, these reliability issues make the Nerio strategically valuable, as it is often underestimated by its adversaries until they find themselves vaporized. However, most professors of military history and strategy consider this idea old-hat after its famously successful application by Thaddeus Mainspring (uncle of sitting senator Timothy Mainspring) in his decisive victory at the Battle of Enthea X in 3238.

In terms of loadout and recommended applications, the Nerio is strictly by-the-book for modern light mecha, coming off the line at 25 tons, equipped with some middling missile and cannon weapons and light armor. On the battlefield it is most commonly used in groups of two to five for scouting ops, light skirmishes, or mopping up stragglers from larger confrontations. Of course, like many mecha in its class, a wide variety of non-standard upgrades and use-cases have been documented. In non-military configurations, it is a favorite of industrial crystal farms, although many independent crystal farmers maintain a cult-like devotion to AlphaCorp's rival Model B.

Legendary Pilots

• 

  Kalevi Karvinen

  Many dismiss Karvinen as just another obsessive Mecha collector, But his driving ambition is to lead an unstoppable squadron of elite mecha. The diverse mechs he owns are actually the prizes he's already won in his quest to become the best pilot in the galaxy. Sly and crafty, his battle tactics have been adopted by many throughout the galaxy.

• 

  Ken Fuchs

  Long time mech pilot, Ken often can be found stopping out the competion with hisDragon comrads,but truth be told he would rather be in his Nerio, laying waste to mech's much larger than himself and then laughing about it back at HQ.

• 

  Chieko Suzuki

  A Shogunate specialist in light-mecha combat. He made the mech famous when he successfully led a squad of Nerio in the defense of Nagoyan VI, where he his unit swarmed each invading mech individually.

• 

  Dash

  A crafty pilot, Dash often uses the long range and speed of his trusty Nerio to outflank enemies and surprise them from behind.